Jan de Kloe: Oscar Esplá in Belgium (1936-1949)

280 pp. $44.95, Presser Order number 497-00521 (RTFT-12)

The Spanish composer Oscar Esplá lived in Belgium for almost fourteen years, including those of the Second World War. A detailed description is given of Esplá’s life in Belgium: the first Concours Eugène Ysaye of 1937 for which he came from Spain and thus fled the fratricide in his country, the musical scene in occupied Brussels, press censorship, the relation and correspondence he had with leading musicians of the time, the projects he undertook with librettists and the broadcast service, his friendships, the attacks from the extreme right, the struggle for survival, the hardship after the war as a result of working for a Nazi controlled newspaper and the complexity of returning to Spain. A summary of all performances of his works during those years is provided. This is the first publication which gives an in-depth coverage of the significant period from 1936 till 1949 of the life of one of Spain’s most important composers of the 20th century.

Jan de Kloe was born in The Hague (The Netherlands) in 1943. Since 1967 he lives in Belgium. He studied music privately and at the royal conservatories of Brussels and Liège. As a soloist he performed in Belgium and various other European countries. He published three recordings (Baroque transcriptions and Spanish music Volume 1 and 2). Music editing and research have resulted in a number of publications. Jan de Kloe is currently connected as a computer graphics consultant to specialized music publishers Editions Orphée (USA), Ashley Mark (Great Britain), Chanterelle (Germany), Mel Bay (USA), HBS Nepomuk (Switzerland) and others.